


Third Wheels

by Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Demisexuality, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 10:12:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17506622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw/pseuds/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw
Summary: Steve and Eleven bond over dating a Byers and a Wheeler.





	Third Wheels

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by imaginary_golux
> 
> Also: I'll be doing the February Ficlet Challenge again this year! Details at the link to follow, but long story short, there's a prompt a day for 28 days, you pick characters you want to write for, and write a short fic every day, posted to a collection on AO3. https://februaryficletchallenge.tumblr.com/

“So,” Steve says, and feels like an idiot. “You’re the famous Eleven.”

The feelings of idiocy magnify, but to her credit, the girl just responds with a simple “Yes.”

Okay, Steve thinks. Going to have to put in a little more work to keep this conversation going. Desperately, he looks out at the little gathering of kids, sees Nancy and Jonathan sitting side-by-side, sees Will and Mike’s fingers laced together. “So,” he repeats. “Guess we have good taste in partners, huh?” She stares at him. “I mean we both like a Wheeler and a Byers.” Which reminds him, he really needs to help Dustin find somebody sweet to cuddle with. Or whatever fourteen-year-olds did these days. He really didn’t want to know if it was anything more complicated than that. “How does that work, by the way? Kinda thought Will was gay.”

“Yes. So did Will. He discovered he was demisexual.”

“Huh?” He knows El has her ritual word of the day, but that’s a new one on him.

“It means first friends, then more-than-friends. Always.”

“Huh. I guess that makes sense. Like, I wouldn’t like Jonny-boy if I didn’t know he was a badass. But it’s more than that for Will.” El nods. “That’s cool, I guess. So, what, Will never really had a lot of girl friends. Friends who were girls.” He wrinkles his nose. “Come to think of it, neither did Mike. Not that I noticed, really. Not like I would have really noticed.” El gawked at him like she didn’t understand how you couldn’t look at Mike Wheeler like he had hung the stars. Which reminded him. “And I know you didn’t have a lot of dating options in that lab.”

“No.”

Shit, he’d gone and scared her back to bitter monosyllables. Shit, shit… “What I mean is,” he fudges quickly, “I remember having crushes that young. None of them lasted or went anywhere, and most of the people I thought I would have liked then turned out to be real jerks or not as cute or whatever. Not saying you can’t make it work,” he holds up a defensive hand, “just don’t blame yourself if it doesn’t. And despite having jumped into each other’s lives with an impressive amount of devotion, there’s no guarantee that it’ll last. Doesn’t make it your fault, or Mike’s, or Will’s.”

“You mean like how it wasn’t your fault or Nancy’s?” Ouch. Perceptive little shrike. “And you got back together.”

“Yeah, but only after a big mess, and after we all did a lot of growing up.” He taps his fingers on his thigh. “Guess I have you tiny shits to thank for that. Looking after you, facing down inter-dimensional hell beasts, getting my ass kicked multiple times...you grow up fast. Not like I need to convince you of that.” He pauses, not sure if this is a good question to ask, then blurts out: “Did you really spend a whole month alone in the woods?”

“Yes.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” he mutters. Sleeping in the snow, scavenging for food like a wild dog. Fucking miracle she had decided to save the world the way it had treated her. On an impulse, he grabs her by the shoulders and pulls her into a hug. “C’mere, kid.” He draws back enough to look her in the eyes. “You ever need anything, you let me know. Seeing as how we’re basically in-laws twice over at this point.” In-laws? She mouths. “I’ll, uh, explain later. Anyway, go snuggle your boyfriends. God knows you all deserve it. I’m going to make eyes at the two idiots I’m dating.”

“Thank you, Steve.” She pats him on the head.

“Mind the hair,” he calls after her, not meaning it in the slightest. Again, not that she had a baseline to work from. Seriously, either Hopper was going to have to move in with Mrs. Byers, or else he was going to have to have words with the chief about hair product. The tangled mop of tomboy curls was okay for now, but at some point she was going to want to dress to impress.

He walks over to Jonathan and Nancy. “Hey. Glad to see you guys haven’t run off with your new college friends.”

“Not likely,” Jonathan laughs. “I mean, sure, there are lots of people out there. But how many of them are willing to sleep with the lights on in case the actual bogeyman is out there?”

“I see why you keep me around,” Nancy laughs.

“That is definitely true. And the fact you can actually handle a .38 Special.”

Nancy pretends to blow smoke from the tip of her finger, which never fails to make him smile. “It has been nice,” she admits, “getting to see New York. So many different people and sights and...smells.” She pauses, and he thinks for a minute she’s going to ask him to come live with them on a full-time basis. “It makes you appreciate what you knew when you were just a kid all the more.”

That’s...oddly touching, and Steve slips in between her and Jonathan. “It’s good to see you guys again.” He leaves a beat, then continues: “Even if we are, y’know, babysitting a bunch of goobers.” He really doesn’t mind, he thinks as Jonathan nuzzles against his neck. He really doesn’t.

***

Boyfriends, El thinks. She likes the sound of that. It hadn’t occurred to her to think there was anything strange about having more than one; if there was an advantage to learning about human relationships from soap operas, it was that. El thinks she might like the sound of girlfriend or girlfriends, too. She’s learned the word ‘crush,’ and thinks she’s had one on Nancy since Mike showed her a photograph, almost two years ago. But that can wait, and she only has two hands to hold, after all.

She plunks herself down; Will and Mike shuffle to make room for her on the floor. “What were you and Steve talking about?” Will asks.

“Us.” She pulls Will in close, tucked in under her arm. “Being together. He thinks it’s strange that we’re so young.”

“What do you think?” Mike presses her, because he’s definitely aware that what they have, who they are, is unusual.

“We’re not that much younger now than your sister was the first time she and Steve had sex.” El replies. Will laughs but Mike turns green and pretends to retch.

“That just means we’ll have that much more time together,” Will boasts, and El isn’t sure how he’s kept his optimism. Well, no, she has an idea: he’s been through such dark times and always come through. Part of why she loves him, she reasons.

“I’ll settle for right now,” Mike says, and pulls them both closer; El can’t agree more.


End file.
